


It's Not Just This Moment.

by Westgate (Harkpad)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Birthday Presents, Gen, Nate's First Birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 05:49:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6503419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harkpad/pseuds/Westgate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint and Laura throw a first birthday party for Nate, and the team brings presents. This is just what each person gave to Nate Barton on his first birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Not Just This Moment.

 

**Natasha** : Hers was a small package with cherry red wrapping paper and a gold ribbon, and Lila opened it for Nate quickly, and cocked her head at her aunt. She held it up for her parents to see, and Clint smiled as Laura laughed. “The Little Prince” was one of Natasha’s favorite books, the story’s exasperation with the grownups of the world shining through its pages and resonated with Natasha the first time she read it. She watched as Clint thumbed through its pages, smiling his calming half-smile, mostly just crinkling his eyes at the beautiful illustrations and coming to the last page of the book. She grinned as he found her small inscription in her tight print: ‘May the wind be at your back, and may the stars always guide you home. Auntie Nat.” She would read it to Nate tonight to get him to sleep.

**Phil** : Phil used to be around all the time, before Loki. Cooper and Lila called him Uncle Phil and liked him for different things. Cooper knew Phil would always take a long hike with him, even drive them an hour or two away to find the best trails. They talked baseball and camping and books together, and Cooper never bored of Phil’s company. Lila knew Phil would sit with her at the table for hours to put together intricate and not-so-intricate puzzles and talk about their common taste in children’s cartoons. After Loki, though, Phil wasn’t around much, and he worried that he wouldn’t get to build a relationship with Nate the same way he did with the older kids. So when Nate squealed in absolute delight at the sight and plush feel of the purple teddy bear dressed in purple and silver archery gear, Phil felt warm and like maybe Nate would at least associate the cuddly bear with Uncle Phil.

There was another box, and when Lila opened that one, Clint glared at him and Laura’s mouth turned down in disapproval. Phil knew how they'd feel, but he didn’t care. The world was changing, and he didn't know how many of these events he’d get to attend. Inside the box was a silver pocket knife, but Clint would know right away that it was more than just a pocket knife. It had more blades, better tools, and would last Nate's whole life. “Put it away, obviously,” he said quietly to Clint, “But I wanted to make sure he had it.” One thing Loki had taught Phil was that no one could predict anything anymore, and giving while you could, being present while you could, building relationships while you could, that was what mattered. So he hugged Laura, played with Nate and the bear for a few minutes, and then stole Cooper for a long walk around their property.

**Wanda** : She presented hers with a, “May I unwrap and give it to your brother, Lila?” and a soft smile, and Lila nodded and stepped back from little Nate.  Lila adored Wanda and the way she would sit and color with Lila for an hour without talking, and how, when they all gathered around the fire pit in the front field, she would gather Lila into her lap and pull Cooper close. Her voice would fall into a gentle cadence as she told stories that her grandmother had told to her back in Sokovia, fantasies of elves and fairies and sprites that made Cooper lean in and Lila squeal with delight. Now she peeled back simple green paper to reveal a small wooden box with a clasp. She opened it and smiled down at the baby as she pulled out a worn stuffed kitten and set it in his tiny hands. He giggled and put the toy to his mouth, and Clint watched as tears filled Wanda’s eyes and she leaned over Nate. She whispered something in his ear and closed her eyes before pressing a kiss to his soft hair. When she stood up, she caught Clint’s eye and nodded. He winked and she grinned, and stepped away as Nate rubbed the stuffed kitten against his cheek.

**Sam** : Sam didn’t wrap his gift, and Clint laughed as he handed Nate a frisbee-sized plush version of Cap’s shield, and he laughed with that easy smile as Nate smoothed his face into the toy. Sam watched him for a minute, and Clint saw adoration in his eyes. Sam would babysit at the drop of a hat – Clint and Laura only had to text him an hour ahead of time and he’d make an excuse with Natasha and Steve and fly out to the house right away. He and Cooper would cook dinner while Lila and Nate played on the living room floor together, and when Clint and Laura returned Cooper and Lila would groan and wrap Sam in a bear hug and refuse to let him leave until Clint pried them bodily away.

**Vision** : Vision handed Lila beautifully wrapped box, and Lila put her hand over her mouth when she opened it. Clint leaned over and when he saw the gem collection – there were five stones, the birthstone of each member of Clint’s family, in a plush red velvet lined box. He shook his head, showed Laura, who chuckled and GAVE Vision a long, hard hug before she put the box on a shelf in Nate’s room to show him later, when he got older.

**Thor** : Thor never stayed very long when he came to the farm, but today he sat on the porch and drank Laura’s famous sun tea while Cooper sat next to him and listened to stories from Asgard. His box for Nate held an Asgardian toy that resembled a sling-shot, but Thor assured Clint that I wasn’t a weapon. It was a game that had to do with trajectory and aim, perfect for Hawkeye’s son, Thor explained. The look Laura gave Clint told him that she would have words if Clint and Lila figured out how to use it as a weapon. Thor also produced a plush Mojlinir toy from behind his back with a flourish, and Nate giggled and grabbed it with delight.

**Tony** : Pepper told him not to overdo it. ‘Don’t be extravagant,’ she said. That’s hard for Tony, even when thinking about a one-year old kid. He could have some serious fun going overboard for a one-year old kid. But he listened, sort of. His box was bigger than everyone else’s box, decorated in wrapping paper with planets and stars all over it. He called Cooper over to help Lila unwrap the gift, and held his hand in front of his mouth to keep himself from giggling when Clint got a look at what was inside. Cooper and Lila pulled it out of the box together, and Cooper’s astounded, “Oh, man. Dad, look at this,” was perfect. He and Lila set the robot on the floor and stepped back, admiring the sleek lines, the blue and silver paint, and the little blue remote control box taped to its side. Clint stared, and Laura asked, “Uh, what does it do?”

Tony laughed. “It’ll tell stories – I put about fifty kids books in its memory, but I can add more if you want. It’ll also fetch anything it can pick up as long as it knows what it is. I added ‘arrows’ to its basic vocabulary.”

Clint looked over and said, “He’s one, Stark.”

Tony shrugged. He’d thought of that whole age-appropriate thing, but with the way the world was going? Tony just didn’t know how many birthday parties they’d all get to have together, so he got a jump on things. Later in the day he handed Laura an envelope with a small smile, and inside were three sets of paperwork detailing shares of Stark Industries for each Barton kid. Planning for contingencies was important.

**Steve** : His was a shoe box wrapped in brown paper, and covered in painted balloons, streamers and small thumbnails of Falcon (because “Bir! Bir!”every time Sam showed up at the farm was enough to tell Steve who little Nate’s favorite was) peppered the box.  Laura pulled the box out of Lila’s hands and pulled the paper off very carefully before handing the box back to Lila. Steve stood by with his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, keeping an eye on Clint as the box was opened. He scanned the room for Wanda, who was sitting on the couch next to Vision, leaning into his shoulder. At Lila’s sharp intake of breath and “oh, Daddy, look!” Steve turned back to Clint, who had leaned over to take the box from Lila. He stared for a moment, looked up at Steve, and all Steve could do was shrug.

Clint and Laura would like them or not, it was too late to go get a stuffed otter or something else for the one-year-old Nate. Clint pulled the first card out of the box and stared at it. It was the size of a greeting card, but it was a watercolor portrait that Steve painted from memory. He watched as Clint pulled the other card, the same size, and a slow grin bloomed on his face. He looked up at Steve and swallowed hard before he blinked hard and said, “Thank you.” Steve thought of the sketches he’d started with as he sat in the windowsill of his room at Stark Tower, letting the sun and blue sky warm him while his pen scratched the paper. It took him two weeks to get Pietro right. Natasha came easier, because he could watch, had watched, loved watching her curl into the couch for a movie, spar in the gym until she was sweaty and breathing hard, sit at the kitchen table with her hands wrapped around a cup of tea. Laura moved to Steve’s side and wordlessly pressed a kiss to his cheek. Clint carried the box to Wanda and knelt down in front of her to show her the pictures. She stared, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before looking over at Steve with a sparkling smile and a brief nod. When Tony shouted from the kitchen, “What did Rogers get the little punk?” Clint just looked over at Steve and called back, “Bedroom decorations.”

 

 


End file.
